Theft: Livestock

Mark Pritchard:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to tackle livestock theft. [320231]

Mr. Alan Campbell:
The theft of livestock is a crime and is covered under the Theft Act 1968. The thrust of the Government's Crime Strategy makes local agencies accountable and responsive to the needs and priorities of the local community. Where livestock theft emerges as a pressing local issue there is a local framework in place for local police forces and community safety partnerships to allocate and devote appropriate resources to tackling this crime.

The Government also supports schemes such as Farm Watch and Countryside Watch, which are now operating across England and Wales, allowing farmers and those living in rural communities to share practical advice on crime prevention in order to look after their vehicles, property, families and animals.

A practical guide has also been produced by the National Policing Improvement Agency specifically for those facing the challenges of policing rural areas, titled Neighbourhood Policing in Rural Communities (2008). This offers advice on a range of issues specific to rural areas. The introduction of neighbourhood policing is transforming policing at a local level, so as to build a more responsive, locally accountable and citizen-focused police service to make communities safer and make them feel safer.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Adult Education

Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what role he expects Adult Safeguarded Learning funds to play in achieving the aims of the Learning Revolution White Paper. [320106]

Kevin Brennan:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 February 2010, Official Report, column 633W.

Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has to assist local authorities in Portsmouth to achieve the aims of the Learning Revolution White Paper. [320107]

Kevin Brennan:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 February 2010, Official Report, column 632W.

Credit

Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to protect vulnerable families from unscrupulous money lenders. [320943]

Kevin Brennan:
Since 2004 the Government have committed £16.5 million to tackling illegal money lending nationwide. Specialist teams operate across England and in Scotland and Wales. As well as identifying, arresting and prosecuting loan sharks, the teams are working with partners in the community to ensure victims get access to advice and support.

Last year, we launched the national hotline and the Stop Loan Sharks campaign on Direct.gov to warn against the dangers of illegal lending and to provide a clear and simple way to report a loan shark.

So far, the teams have:

Identified more than 900 illegal lenders, leading to more than 700 investigations;

Written off more than £30 million of illegal debt; (money that victims would have had to pay back)

Helped more than 10,000 people, including the most hard to reach individuals;

Seized and confiscated over £1 million cash;

Secured more than 150 successful prosecutions, with more in the pipelines; and

Secured more than 50 years in prison sentences, plus an indefinite sentence for public protection.

Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent assessment is of the effect on the ability of families to move out of poverty of consumer credit charged at high annual percentage rates. [320944]

Kevin Brennan:
Government recognise that significant numbers of consumers are struggling with their finances. We believe that it is crucial that when people are in difficulty with debt they seek help as soon as possible. That is why Government have invested significantly in making expert financial advice freely available. We have supported a number of measures such as the FSA's Money Made Clear website and BIS's face to face debt advice project to help consumers keep control of their finances and manage their debt.

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While we want to see fewer people taking on unsustainable amounts of debt, we recognise that even for people on low incomes access to credit can be vital, allowing them to respond to unexpected events or crisis. We are concerned that many consumers are unable to obtain credit from mainstream sources, leaving them with few options other than to seek credit from high cost lenders. Government are committed to providing a safety net for people in need who are struggling to find affordable credit. We have provided increased funds to community-based lenders such as credit unions to provide affordable loans and increased funding for the Social Fund which provides interest free loans to consumers at times of pressure or crisis.

We are keen to expand on our evidence base in this area and welcome the review that the Office of Fair Trading is currently conducting into the high cost credit sector. Their report is due out shortly and we will not hesitate to act if the review finds that further action is necessary to protect consumers.

Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to regulate doorstep lending; what his policy is for the future of such lending; and if he will make a statement. [320945]

Kevin Brennan:
Government acknowledge that there are concerns regarding the home credit market. The Competition Commission investigated the home credit market in 2006 and as a result required providers in the sector to adopt remedies to address the problems it identified, such as lenders being required to share data on customers payment records, being required to publish their prices on a website where customers can compare the prices of loans and lenders giving a fair rebate to 8 Mar 2010 : Column 138W
customers who repay their loans early. We are also putting in place a number of further measures to give consumers a more informed choice and to encourage responsible lending, including bringing in new requirements this year for lenders to provide adequate explanations to borrowers and to assess their creditworthiness. Any further changes in this area will need careful consideration and we are seeking to expand on our evidence base before determining whether existing remedies are working or if further action is needed. The OFT is reviewing the high cost credit market and is due to publish its findings and recommendations shortly. Government have pledged to respond quickly to the review.

Departmental Advertising

Mr. MacNeil:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent on advertising by (a) his Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) other body sponsored by his Department and its predecessor in each year since 2005. [319151]

Mr. McFadden:
For advertising spend in 2008/09 and 2009/10 by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the former Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the former Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes), 1 February 2010, Official Report, column 133-34W.

Spend on advertising procured through the Central Office of Information by the former BERR, DTI and DIUS from 2004/05 to 2007/08 is as follows: